The Road Not Traveled
by Ash
Summary: What would happen if Marco DIDN'T become an Animorph..(Short n'corny)


**THE ROAD NOT TRAVELED**

** By: Ash**

Author's notes: This is my first fic in quite a few months so please, my writing is a bit rusty, bear with me. There's a few little notes about my story, uh first the cheezy factor is very high in this fic, be warned. Also, this is more or less a story that only involves Marco, Jake and a wee bit of Cassie. It's a friendship fic. Also, yes, I do kill someone off. *fends off the thrown vegetables* Marco may seem a bit out of character in this but he's supposed to. And there's a wee bit of swearing. So more or less it's a typical Ash fic; Cheezy, lots of Marco and tons of death. 

I would also like to thank an author by the name of Sharon Nuttycomb for giving me inspiration for this fanfiction. She is an amazing author who leaves me in tears every time. Thanks Sharon! 

Disclaimer: Jake, Cassie and Marco all belong to K.A Applegate I just borrow them for my twisted little stories of darkness and death. BWHAHAHAHAHA! 

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Jake leaned his head back against the smooth, cold bars of the cage trying his best to hide the fear that was slowly overwhelming him. In the back of his mind he knew this day would come, he just wanted to deny it. It was what his worst nightmares were made of. Unfortunately, the situation that was presently around him was all too real. 

It was the end. 

No more Animorphs. The Yeerks knew the truth. That they were just a handful of human kids playing hero. Children fighting a war that had been thrust upon them without a hope of victory. 

It was a cruel joke. 

"Jake?" Cassie asked from beside him, reaching out to take her hand in his. 

Jake ran his fingers through his hair and looked into Cassie's eyes. "Why did we walk through that construction site Cassie? Why didn't we just run?" 

Cassie just shook her head. "Someone needed to fight." 

"A fight we were going to lose?" Jake cried, "Why us Cassie? Of all the millions of people in the world...Why the four of us?" 

"I don't think anyone can answer that. Not you or me or Rachel or Tobias. Ask them, Jake. They don't regret these last few years...and neither do I." Cassie replied, squeezing his hand tightly. 

Controllers walked by their prison, giving the two deep looks of disdain. Jake closed his eyes 'It'll be over soon' he told himself, 'then you won't have to fight anymore.' 

He and Cassie had been caught during a simple recon mission. It was supposed to be routine. Simply, in and out. Unfortunately, things hadn't gone quite as planned and now he and Cassie helplessly awaited their fate. The only hope Jake had was that the others who were still out there free would think of someway of getting them out. The damage was already done though, their secret was out and the belief had disappeared. 

To Jake, it had felt like a lifetime since him and his friends; Cassie, Rachel and Tobias had walked through that construction site and received the power to morph. It had been an especially rough year for Jake though. First, finding out that he and his friends were the only hope for their planet. Then he found out his brother, Tom was one of *them*. Later on that year, Tom had shown up dead. Jake and his parents still hadn't recovered from the shock. But the most painful blow had been when his best friend Marco and his family had went out boating and never returned. Their bodies were never found. 

_ Marco,_ Jake thought sadly. _ Where are you when I really need you?_

It was like a dream. The last time Jake had seen Marco alive had been the day of the accident. Marco wanted to know whether he could borrow twenty bucks to buy a new CD. His mom wouldn't give him his allowance early and he rambled on about the necessity of having the new Everclear album. Jake finally relented. Marco had went boating that night and that was the last Jake ever saw of him. 

It wasn't long after that Jake became an Animorph. Earth's last defense against an army of alien invaders called the Yeerks...all that and Jake hadn't even gotten out of High School. 

Man, he'd really screwed this one up. It wasn't supposed to end this way. They were supposed to win! All good guys do. Did Will Smith let the aliens destroy Earth in Men In Black? No. Did the Empire beat the Rebellion in Star Wars? Definitely not. Damn!! That wasn't reality! *This* was reality. They were never destined to win. How could they? They were children! Jake had lost everything. His family, his best friend and now, his freedom. 

_ 'Let them take me,' _ Jake thought bitterly, _ 'Just make it stop!' _

"Jake?" Cassie asked, her voice soft, "You're shaking." 

Jake gazed up at her, and then down at his trembling hands. "I can't do this anymore Cassie, I can't." 

"I know Jake." She whispered and pulled him close. 

Jake cried. Not caring what anyone thought of him. He was done with being brave. Cassie held him tighter, smoothing back his hair, trying to come up with something comforting to say but for once in her life her mind was a complete blank. So, she just gently rocked Jake back and forth, humming quietly until Jake's breathing evened out and he'd fallen asleep. 

********************************************************************************************************************* 

Jake awoke to the sound of Cassie's voice. 

"You'll never win Visser 3," She shouted, rage shearing through her words, "You may have us, but you won't win!" 

Jake looked up to see Visser Three standing just outside the door to their prison. He sneered at Cassie with heavy contempt, his human eyes glaring at them with triumph. 

"I've already won," Visser Three replied, spreading his arms to admire his empire, "Look around you! Earth is within my grasp. And soon, so will all of the Universe." 

A controller leaned in beside the Visser, "Should we infest them now?" 

Visser Three shook his head, a grin of pure malice growing on his face, "No," He replied, "I'd like to get the location of the other bandits from them...personally." 

The Visser turned to the doorway nearby, "INISS 245!!" He bellowed. 

"Yes, Visser?" Came the meager reply. 

Jake froze. He *knew* that voice. But it couldn't be! There was no way. 

A boy stepped into the room. Hispanic, dark haired and browned eyed. He wasn't very tall, and looked sickly thin. But he had an aura about him. An aura of evil and bitterness that was all the strength he needed. The gleam in his eyes was full of scorn and looked out of place on the face of someone so young. The hatred ran so deep that Jake felt like he could fall into it and never find his way out. 

Jake heard Cassie gasp. "Marco?" He asked in disbelief. 

Marco strode up the cage and glared at Jake, "So you remember do ya buddy?" 

"Remember you, Marco? How could I forget you?! You were my best friend!" Jake said, disbelief and horror creeping into the edges of his voice. Marco was alive! All this time, he was alive! The boating accident had been some big coverup... Marco had been a controller the entire time. A whole year and Jake hadn't even known... 

Marco snorted, "Some friend." 

"Enough!" Visser 3 said, "Iniss 245, help me set up the neurolizer." 

Jake caught the flicker of uneasiness in Marco's eyes, "Yes sir." 

Jake grasped the bars and gazed at Marco, desperately searching for the boy he once knew. The jokester, the kid with the sarcastic, laughing eyes... "Marco? What's a neurolizer? MARCO? What is it?!" 

Marco didn't answer. He just shook his head and followed the Visser out the door. 

******************************************************************************************************************** 

Pain! Horrible, unbelievable pain. Jake thrashed helplessly as stabbing knives of pure agony ripped through him. The whole time Visser Three screamed about the other Animorphs, he wanted to know names, dates, places. Jake couldn't answer even if he wanted to. His world spun in front of him and the darkness of death crept up at him from the back of his mind. 

Marco stood off to the side, not saying a word, his eyes on the floor. Jake struggled some more against the machine attached to his forehead and then reached out to his friend, "Marco, help me...please!" 

Jake saw Marco stiffen, somewhere deep inside he could see the dark conflict in the eyes of his long dead friend. He held Jake's gaze, the evil giving away to something much deeper. The young controller's face filled with pain and fear. Finally, unable to watch anymore, Marco whirled around, stalked out of the room and slammed the door. 

Visser Three watched, enraged, as Marco walked away, "INISS 245! Get back here now! Those are orders! You will suffer for this insolence!!!" 

But Marco just kept walking, and Jake slid back into his world of agony. 

Four hours later, Jake passed out of pure exhaustion. He vaguely felt himself being carried back to the cage and thrown in. He hit the floor with a sickening thud and fell still. Cassie kneeled by his side, crying in horror at the pain she saw written in Jake's features. 

"What did they do?" She cried. "When will this end?" Jake couldn't answer. He just let the world around him fade into oblivion. 

********************************************************************************************************************* 

"Hey, wake up!" Came a heavy whisper. 

Jake blinked opened his eyes and winced. Why did everything hurt? Then the dark memories of the torture flooded back into his mind with vengeance and Jake groaned loudly. 

"Shut up!" The voice snapped, "You wanna wake everyone up you damn idiot?!" 

Jake focused on the figure standing above him and realized it was... "Marco?" 

"I'm not Marco, you fool. Marco's dead. And so are you and your girlfriend if you don't do as I say." He muttered, his voice nothing more than a hiss. 

Jake gazed around and realized how dark it was. The whole room was silent and shadowed and Marco seemed to be the only one around. "Hunh?" 

"We're leaving." Marco said simply, "Now get up, I'm not dragging you out of here." 

"You're letting us go?" Cassie asked, crawling over to help Jake up, "Why?" 

"I have my reasons," He snapped, "Now shut up and move." 

Cassie wrapped an arm around Jake and headed towards the door that Marco was pointing at. Marco followed the two, a scowl on his face and fear in his eyes. They crept through the nearby hallway, Marco always checking for guards. Those they did run into, Marco carefully steered around towards a back exit. Finally, he led them towards a door, that went down a flight of stairs and then descended into darkness. 

"Where are we going?" Jake managed to ask through his waves of increasing pain. He was leaning heavily on Cassie, still fighting the damaging effects of the neurolizer. 

"About three months ago I found this exit," Marco answered, for the first time addressing them in a calm voice, "Figured it would come in handy someday. It's an underground tunnel that leads to a forest about a four hundred yards from the complex. It's so dense out there no one will be able to find you." 

"Us, Marco," Cassie replied, "We're not going to leave you here, you can come with us." 

Marco shook his head, "I can't leave." 

"Why not?" Cassie demanded, "Do you really want to be a slave forever?" 

Jake gazed up, realization hit him like a cold slap in the face, "His parents." 

Marco nodded, "I won't leave them. I'd rather live an eternity as a controller then live a day without them." 

The three fell silent as they walked through the tunnel and up to the forest exit. Jake had so many questions to ask Marco. So many things to say to his friend that he'd thought he'd never get the chance to. And why was Marco helping them? Marco was a controller, that much was clear. How could he have the strength the fight off the Yeerks control? Was Marco even *in* control? Maybe this was the Yeerk talking to them, leading he and Cassie to their deaths just as they were beginning to hope again. 

Obviously, Cassie had the same thoughts, "Why can you fight off the Yeerks control, Marco?" 

Marco flinched, and then gazed up at the opening of the tunnel, stepping into the light. "I can't." He whispered. This was the first time they had gotten a good look at Marco since he'd come to rescue them. He looked like a wreck. There were slight tremors in Marco's hands, a faint tightness around his eyes and the boy was shivering uncontrollably, hunched around himself as if to drive away his deep pain by sheer force of will. It wasn't working. 

Marco wrapped his arm around his stomach and flinched again, trying to keep control of his own mind. Jake's heart ripped apart. This wasn't right, his mind screamed. It shouldn't have happened this way. 

"Let's go." Marco snapped, harshness returning to his tone. "It isn't going to take them long to realize you're gone." He turned and started off into the trees. 

Cassie reached out and touched the controller's shoulder. Marco jumped at the touch and violently pulled away. Startled, Cassie frowned, "What did they do to you Marco?" 

Marco gazed at the ground, "I don't want your pity, now leave me the hell alone! Are you coming? Or do you want me to leave you and lover boy out here so they can find you again? This is a once in a lifetime offer, I'm not going to help you again." 

"Marco," Jake muttered, coming out of his shock and pain, "We need to talk about this..." 

Marco whirled back to them, "Talk about what Jake??? How I was dragged from my home and was forced to watch my parents become monsters???Or how about the things they've made me do? The innocent people I've been forced to hurt? Or the times I've fought back and been starved for weeks at time or tortured and whipped??? Or how about this..." Marco yanked up the bottom of his shirt to reveal a nasty bruise. It didn't take a medical genius to realize that Marco had a least two broken ribs, "This is the price you pay when you try and help someone!!!" 

"Dear God, Marco." Cassie whispered, shocked. "Please come with us...please..." 

Marco turned away, gasping slightly. "You don't understand! You don't know what I've done." The anguish in his voice was almost palpable. 

Jake shook his head slowly, ignoring the pain it caused him, "It doesn't matter. You had no choice..." 

"It DOES matter!! I killed someone..." 

Jake and Cassie stilled, shock rippling through them, "What...?" 

Tears filled Marco's eyes, sliding down his pain stricken face. "Tom, I was the one who killed Tom," Marco cried, "He...I... Jake, I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry." Waves of guilt and pain streamed from Marco. 

And memories. 

Memories of torture, of helplessness and a fog of hatred, anger and fear. He had been so confused and lost, so alone. He could fight back, he realized. He could get away from this awful place, he could get away from the Yeerks. Run! His mind had screamed, RUN! One way to escape. A single controller stood in his way of his goal...his freedom-- And it didn't matter, this was one of the people who had hurt him, one of the people who had hurt his parents. He lashed out with the weapon that was suddenly in his hands. 

...And Tom was dead. 

"I didn't know it was him, Jake..." Marco said, his shoulders shaking with his heavy sobs, "When I realized it was him...it was...too late..." Marco had given up on life after that. He hadn't cared whether he lived or died, he didn't think there was anything to fight for. Nothing left to save. 

Cassie walked over and wrapped the sobbing boy in her arms, "I'm sorry," Marco said, his voice muffled, "I never meant to..." 

Jake tottered over, shocked by the whole revelation. "It's alright. It was the Yeerk's fault. You couldn't help what happened." 

"I pulled the trigger Jake! I watched him die! I killed him! There was no one else there. It's *my* fault...It's all my fault." Marco abruptly pulled away from Cassie, took a step back from them, and wiped furiously at the tears in his eyes as if they were mark on his soul. 

Realization crept into Jake's mind, "That's why you're helping me and Cassie get away...You're trying to make up for what you did..." 

For a while Marco didn't say anything, then his shoulders slumped in tired defeat and he nodded, "Yes." 

Jake gazed at Marco for a long minute, reading his friend's tormented eyes, "Marco, I don't blame you. No one will. You can come with us, Marco. You help us make sure they don't hurt anyone again." 

Marco shook his head, and focused through the trees behind them, "It's too late." He said, fear running cold in his small voice, "The Yeerks are coming." The sound of voices reverberating through the trees punctuated his words. 

********************************************************************************************************************* 

"RUN!" Marco cried, pushing them towards the trees as the flashes of dracon beams filled the air. Cassie pulled Jake along, Marco following behind, using his own dracon to return fire. 

"We have to hurry." Marco said, shooting off another beam, "There's a cave up there if we can make it, we'll be home free." 

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Cassie asked, speeding her pace up. 

Marco nodded grimly and Jake peered around his shoulder to glance at their pursuers. Jake couldn't see them but the heavy fire came whipping through the trees at a more steadier rate. The Yeerks were gaining on them. 

"Up there!" Marco snapped, pointing to a nearby rock outcropping, "Hurry! I hold them off!" 

"Marco, we can morph and help you." Jake said, turning to the controller. 

Marco gazed at Jake with wild eyes, "I said GO! Hurry!!" 

"No..." Jake said flatly. 

"Jake! DAMN YOU! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Marco screamed. "I'm not going to lose you too!" 

Suddenly, a dracon beam split the air. Marco cried out in agony and then crumpled, struck hard in the stomach. He gasped in pain and gazed up at Jake. "Go Jake, please..." 

"Not without you, man," Jake muttered, bending down and pulling the small frame of his friend over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. Cassie, who was already at the mouth of the cave reached out and pulled the two boys in. Finally safe, Jake carefully lay Marco down on the cave's musty floor. 

"Jake," Cassie said in mild wonder, "This cave's been completely dug out, someone must have spent hours on this place...There's food, clothing, weapons, firewood..." 

Jake gazed down at Marco, who was twitching in pain. "Why? Why risk yourself to make an escape you could never use?" 

"Hope," The boy whispered, "Hope that I could save my parents and get away from here. To someday escape and be free." Marco began to cough and blood started to trickle from the open wound. Cassie quickly grabbed a blanket and a first aid kit and covered the shivering boy. 

Cassie carefully placed a bandage over the wound, noting uncomfortably that it was dreadfully close to his broken ribs. She looked up at Jake with an expression that meant only one thing; Marco was dying. 

"Hey buddy," Jake said, "Hang on okay? We're going to get you home..." 

Marco weakly shook his head, "Can't...Sorry Jake..." 

Panic swept through Jake. He had just gotten his best friend back. He'd be damned if he was going to lose him again. "No, Marco, you're not going to leave me again, you hear me?" 

"I deserve this Jake...For killing Tom..." Marco muttered. 

"NO! For the last time! I don't blame you for Tom! Tom's free now. You're not the one to blame. God, Marco. It shouldn't have been this way," Jake muttered softly, "You should have been one of us. You should have been fighting right beside me, as an Animorph. You don't deserve this. Nobody does." 

"Not...your fault,...the way...life is," Marco said, his breathing becoming slow and shallow, "Promise me something...Jake..." 

"Anything." 

"Promise me...you'll free them...my parents, I mean... please? Tell'em I did it...for them..." Marco's face filled with agony, his eyes dimmed in the morning light. 

"Yes, Marco...I swear on my life." Tears welled up in Jake's eyes, "Why did you do it Marco? You knew you weren't going to survive bringing us here...Why are you doing this?" 

"Better to die free Jake...Like an Animorph..." He whispered. His brown eyes fluttered gently and he forced them open, fighting against death and the Yeerk still trying to control him. 

Jake felt the tears fall and Marco shook his head slowly, "No Jake...s'better this way..." 

Jake shook his head in regret and denial, "I'm so sorry Marco." He said, fighting the anguish that was overwhelming him, "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you. Please forgive me." 

Marco grabbed his arm and squeezed it, "Yes, Oh Fearless Leader." His words were barely audible. Marco smiled faintly one last time at Jake, took a shuddering breath and fell limp on the cave's floor. The boy's eyes closed and the hand gripping his arm fell slowly free. Minutes later, the gray form of a dying Yeerk found it's way out of it's host's ear. Jake vaguely heard Cassie stomp viciously on it. 

Jake looked up at Cassie, and watched the tears fall from her eyes. She reached across to take Jake's hand in hers and squeezed hard. 

"Oh God, Jake...Oh, God." 

Jake leaned over and pulled Cassie gently into his arms. There they sat as the sun rose, tears falling silently onto the motionless body beside them. Hours passed and finally Cassie reached over and pulled the blanket over Marco's face. Jake watched quietly, not knowing what to say. He'd lost his best friend again. And this time he wasn't going to come back. 

"Jake," Cassie said, handing him something, "It was in Marco's hand." 

Jake gazed down at the object and slowly unfolded it. Tears instantly sprang to his eyes, unbidden and unwanted. It was a twenty dollar bill. The twenty dollars Marco owed him for the CD. But on the bill written in big, bold black letters was a word that would haunt him for the rest of his life:** FREE **

Jake turned to the rising sun and smiled, giving a last salute to his greatest friend. 

"I'll remember you Marco. I promise." 

FIN! 

**Yeah, I know, I'm such a walking stereotype, but I had fun writing it. Remember to send feedback, and yes, I do know I have a slight tendency of killing people off. It's not my fault, it's a reflex or something.** 


End file.
